London has the largest student population of any British city, although not the highest per capita. Universities in London may be divided into two groups: firstly, the federal University of London, which, with over 100,000 students, is the largest university in the United Kingdom. It comprises over 50 colleges and institutes with a high degree of autonomy. Constituent colleges have their own admissions procedures, and are effectively universities in their own right, although all degrees are awarded by the University of London rather than the individual colleges. The largest and most prestigious colleges include University College London, (UCL), Imperial College, King's College London, Queen Mary, University of London and the London School of Economics, while smaller schools and institutes include the School of Oriental and African Studies, the Institute of Education, and Birkbeck College, which specialises in part time and mature students. Secondly, there are the independent universities, most of which were polytechnics until UK polytechnics were granted university status in 1992. There are several leading medical schools in London, some of which are centuries old, for example Barts, Guy's, and St Thomas'.
London is Britain's leading centre for arts education. London's four music conservatories are the Royal College of Music, the Royal Academy of Music, and Trinity College of Music, and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Other drama schools include Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts ("RADA"), and the Central School of Speech and Drama. Art schools include Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, Chelsea School of Art, and Camberwell School of Art, (all part of the University of the Arts), and Goldsmith's College and the Slade School of Art (both part of the University of London), and The Royal College of Art. The former Hornsey School of Art is now part of Middlesex University.
Most state schools in London are run by the London Boroughs. Some are excellent, and some are not. In common with other large cities in the UK, there are serious problems in some schools, particularly those in less affluent areas. These problems are partly the result of difficulties in retaining teachers willing to work in stuggling schools. Also London's high property prices mean that teachers are often unable to afford to buy their own homes, which pushes many teachers into moving to other parts of the UK, especially as they grow older. There are many private schools in Greater London including some of England's best known public schools such as Harrow and Westminster.